by Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports

by Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports

The first word: When asked about the level of Duke freshman Jabari Parker's skillset, ESPN analyst Jay Bilas isn't shy in paying the 6-8 forward the highest of compliments.

"Jabari isn't just one of the most special players in the country, he's one of the best coach (Mike) Krzyzewski's ever had," Bilas said. "(Parker) can play posting up, he can play with his back to the basket, facing it. He's really, really impressive. He can put him in the backcourt and play him all the way to the 5. Coach K can put 4 guards with him and operate. With that amount of versatility comes a lot of flexibility. Coach K is going to use him like a queen on a chess board."

Strong words from a former Blue Devil, and Bilas is on the outside looking in. Parker might be rated as the second-best freshman behind Kansas' Andrew Wiggins, but he's already convincing coaches and teammates that he's a once-in-a-generation player who could lead Duke to another banner season.

As uniquely talented as he's projected to be, Parker is no messiah. He's coming to a program decorated in college hoops glory and personified in floor slapping. Parker joins a Duke squad that's widely considered the most athletic Blue Devils team in more than a decade.

Duke lost its top three scorers in Mason Plumlee, Seth Curry and Ryan Kelly. But Krzyzewski reloaded with Parker - the No. 2 prospect out of Chicago Simeon High School who was compared to LeBron James on a Sports Illustrated cover - and Rodney Hood a highly valued transfer from Mississippi State who is eligible to play for the Blue Devils this season.

Thanks to Parker and Hood, both 6-8 forwards who can play on the wing, Duke will be one of the nation's most versatile teams. That tandem joins returners Quinn Cook and Rasheed Sulaimon to form a lineup poised to cause matchup problems for opponents.

Once again, the Blue Devils enter 2013-14 with high - and warranted - expectations as the favorite to win the Atlantic Coast Conference, a league that welcomes new challengers (Big East transfers Syracuse, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh) that will all be trying to take down the Blue Devils.

2012-13 in review: 30-6 (14-4 in ACC), lost in the Elite Eight to Louisville.

Tournament projection: No. 1 seed, automatic bid.

Coach's corner: "We're going to see much more than Duke and Carolina showcased in this league with all of these new additions. In some way, I think that may have held the league back or held the people who think about basketball in our league back because you have this golden goose of Duke and Carolina. And now we don't have just one goose, man. We've got a lot of stuff." - Krzyzewski, now entering his 34th season at Duke, said at ACC Media Days.

X-Factor: Hood. Parker will have the spotlight, but Due's success will hinge on consistent play from Hood, who can take over games when Parker and Sulaimon aren't hot. He averaged 10.3 points and 4.8 rebounds as a freshman at Mississippi State before sitting out lat season. "There's a lot of attention on Jabari Parker. Wait until you see Rodney Hood. He's that good," N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried said.

Star watch (backcourt): Curry's departure will allow Cook (11.7 ppg, 5.3 apg) and Sulaimon (11.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg) to take on more of an offensive load after strong freshman campaigns. Cook, Duke's assists leader last season, calls his situation "a point guard's dream", but his decision making, especially at a fast pace, will be crucial. Those two will be complemented by Andre Dawkins, who redshirted last season. Freshmen Matt Jones and Semi Ojeleye will likely earn minutes and add depth.

Star watch (frontcourt): This jumps out as a weakness with Plumlee's departure, but Coach K has had no problems in the past piloting teams lacking size. Reserve Amile Jefferson is a likely candidate to start at center, while Josh Hairston, Alex Murphy and Marshall Plumlee are the Blue Devils' other options. Parker and Hood will play forward, but they're essentially guards with their first step and outside shooting touches.

Team strength/weakness: Parker and Hood can stretch the floor offensively but the offensive potency leads to some defensive liability. Rebounding and size could be a concern for this versatile group when they're playing against bigger, better rebounding teams like, say Syracuse. Duke wasn't a strong rebounding team last season (ranking 213th nationally) and was able to overcome that for the most part but the team's Elite Eight loss to Louisville is the prime example of it mattering.

Conference outlook: How many ACC teams make the NCAA tournament? After only shipping four teams last season, the conference could almost double that number this season. The educated guess is six or seven bids. Duke, Syracuse, North Carolina and Notre Dame should be locks. Virginia and Maryland should escape the bubble. But how good will Pittsburgh be with an inexperienced team? And can projected middle-of-the-pack teams Georgia Tech, Florida State and N.C. State take a big step? Time will tell, as the league could attain the country's top RPI for the first time since 2009. That'd be a big boost for borderline NCAA teams.

Basics: Duke University is located in Durham, N.C. and the Blue Devils play their home games in Cameron Indoor Stadium, which opened in 1940 and seats 9,314.

About this post: Every weekday, one of the 68 teams in USA TODAY Sports' projected NCAA tournament field will be dissected. The final bracket will be revealed in November.

Glance at the dance: So far 65 teams have been selected to the USA TODAY Sports preseason NCAA tournament bracket. The seeding so far: